Young Justice Under Fire
by Smokin' Eddie and the Lemming
Summary: A deadly foe sets his sights on Young Justice -now complete!
1. The Cards Say, "Stay Home!"

Disclaimer: The title and characters in Young Justice belong to DC Comics, a division of Warner Bros., an AOL Time Warner Company, not to me!

  
Young Justice Under Fire  
  
  
Saturday began quietly enough at the Young Justice Headquarters. Wonder Girl and Arrowette both had civilian engagements. Secret was gone to wherever Secret goes. The Red Tornado had curiously been called to a secret meeting with the JLA. And Robin, who had said a week ago that he "may or may not be able to make Saturday," apparently sided with "not." In fact, at 10am the only person at the Young Justice Headquarters was Superboy.  
  
Normally, he would be ticked to have been stuck doing the busy-work of monitoring the YJ computer systems in Red Tornado's absence, but today was different. It felt sort of good being in charge. Besides, for reasons that don't pertain to this story, he was glad to have a plausible excuse for leaving Hawaii. Something about the giant computer screens scanning news reports all over the globe seemed like a good omen. Sometimes Superman did the very same thing up on the JLA Watchtower.  
  
"HI KON!" A shrill voice piped less than a centimeter from his ear.  
  
"AHHHH! Jeez! Whaddaya wanna do, give me a heart attack!" Superboy shouted having flown halfway to the ceiling.  
  
"Where is everybody?" Impulse asked darting in and out of every room in the Headquarters, completely unperturbed by Superboy glaring down at him.  
  
"Cissie and Cassie are busy doing girl stuff. Red Tornado is in a very important meeting with the JLA -which is why I was left in charge here. And who knows where Robin and Secret are." Superboy informed Impulse as though it were all common knowledge and purposefully sat back down at the main control panel. "By the way, how come Headquarters' Security didn't register you entering the access code"?  
  
"Oh. I forgot the code, so I just vibrated through the doors."  
  
"You forgot the code! How could you forget the code!?! It's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0!" Superboy shouted, completely unable to believe this one.  
  
"That's a stupid code." Impulse said looking at his fingers as though maybe he had written the code on one of his hands.   
  
"Of course it's a stupid code! We reset it for YOU! Besides, as Robin pointed out, any villain who finds our Headquarters and immediately presses the numbers on the keypad in sequence doesn't pose much of a security threat."  
  
"Oh." Impulse said, vaguely aware that he was being dissed. "Where is Robin, anyway"?  
  
"I told you I don't know! He isn't here! That's all that matters. Now, I'm busy monitoring the world, so go find something useful to do!" Superboy growled. He really liked Impulse; everybody did. It's just that if the kid had any less reasoning power, he would be photosynthesizing sunlight.  
  
"Okay." Impulse said with determination and a very serious look on his face. "I'll…I'll just…or maybe…"  
  
"Good grief, Impulse! Why don't you just go play video games in the rec room. I'll call you if I need you."  
  
"Right! That sounds like a plan." Impulse said, already out of sight.  
  
  
Elsewhere, Robin was dealing with an annoyance of his own: the tail end of a 24-hour stomach flu that came out of nowhere on Friday afternoon. He had been up until four in the morning hugging the commode. In fact, he had fallen asleep with his chin resting on the inside rim of the toilet. About 9am, his roommate, Wesley, had graciously kicked him awake and sent him to bed. There he slept until Alfred tapped him on his forehead. 

"Master Tim, you look awful." A crisp English voice connected to the balding, immaculately dressed man standing over him observed.   
  
"Huh? Oh, Alfred. I've been kind of sick, but I'm feeling better now." Timothy Drake said groggily, sitting up on the side of his bed. "It was just something I ate."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that, young man. Now lay back down. Let's see if you have a temperature." Alfred ordered, feeling Tim's head and neck. "You're a little warm, but I don't think you have a fever -which could change if you don't stay in bed this afternoon."  
  
"Come on, Alfred. I've fought Gotham's worst sicker than this. Besides, I have a Young Justice meeting today. I told them I would try to make it. Red Tornado expects me to keep everyone in order, and…"  
  
"The Red Tornado isn't expecting you to do anything. He is in a high-level meeting with the JLA. Master Bruce instructed me to tell you that Young Justice meetings are suspended until further notice." Alfred cut in, looking through his back for an appropriate stomach medication.

The mood at the JLA Watchtower was especially grim. Green Lantern had taken a cue from the usually affable Flash, who sat with his arms crossed biting his lower lip, that this was not the time for clever banter. Perhaps the best indication that this was not a pleasant social call was that Plastic Man had "accidentally" not been called.

"I'm sorry, Red Tornado, but there really doesn't seem to be any other way to avert a potential disaster." Superman said. "Young Justice is simply not capable of dealing with a threat of this magnitude." 

"If we were dealing with a instance of clear and present danger, I would agree. However, an insubstantial threat doesn't seem to warrant disbanding Young Justice. And let's not forget that the group formed after thwarting a severe global crisis." Red Tornado replied with a hint of indignation punctuating his mechanical voice.

"You are neglecting the role Captain Marvel played in the Jinn event. The respective members of Young Justice are too young and inexperienced to function fraternally. They require mentors to guide them. Besides, the threat is far from 'insubstantial'." Batman said, dismissing Red Tornado as though he were a chess program with a corrupted file.

"You mean the members of Young Justice except Robin, don't you Batman"? Flash said, knowing that much of Batman's distain for Young Justice stemmed from it's inclusion of Impulse.

"These children are our future. They are our replacements. It is our responsibility to protect them, not just for their sake -which should be reason enough- but for the sake of Earth's future!" Batman instructed the entire assembly, ignoring the Flash's barbed question. "Young Justice must not continue until the current situation changes."

"I don't mean to sound indifferent to many of your personal investments in Young Justice. They are good kids who have proven themselves worthy heroes. But Batman is right; we have an extraordinary obligation to insure their safety." Superman said with distinct finality, letting everyone know the meeting had adjourned. "As we have learned firsthand, Prometheus cannot be taken lightly."

"Hey Imp!" Superboy shouted, poking his head in the rec room. "Apparently peace has broken out. There hasn't been an 'Alert-level event' all day! You mind takin' over the watch for a few minutes?"

"Sure. No problem." Impulse said, not even bothering to look up from _Grodd's Revenge 3. _

"Do you think you could do it _now_?"

"Yeah." Impulse replied, still not looking up.

"Like, _right now_!" Superboy said with his hands on his hips, about one micro-second away from turning off the Playtendo.

"Okay! Okay! I'm going. Where are you going to be?"

"After four hours of stock reports and political discussions, I'm about to konk. I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee and a hot shower. If anything happens, page me."

"Okay, so I'm in charge. Cool."

As Impulse was assuming command of Young Justice, Robin was watching the door close behind Alfred. He had hung around for two hours dusting the same mirror apparently intent on keeping the ailing "Master Tim" in bed. Had it not been for an offensive pile of dirty laundry, he would likely still be dusting the mirror.

"So the Justice League is trying to shut us down again." Tim mumbled to himself. "It looks like I have about 24 hours to find a way to keep us in operation. The first thing to do is figure out just what is eating them this time. And I know just who to call."

Still nauseous, Tim got out of bed and headed for his laptop. He could brush his teeth and shower later. Alfred would be back in about two hours: barely enough time to discover what was up and sneak out.

Somewhere in Western Pennsylvania two attractive girls were leaving the mall. It was a glorious Saturday afternoon. The sky was cloudless. The temperature was perfect. The day was all about Cassie and Cissie, not Wonder Girl and Arrowette, or so they thought.

As they headed for Cissie's mom's van, laden with three shopping bags apiece, they were being watched from behind the tinted windows of an inconspicuous mid-size sedan. The occupant of the car was only interested in recon. The best strategy was to take out the heavy hitters first and clean out the stragglers on the back swing. Obviously, the Young Justice Headquarters was being undermanned today.

"What do you mean, 'you can't say'"? Tim asked, not sure how to take Oracle's refusal.

"Look, Tim. All I can say is that something big may be going down, and it is safer for Young Justice to lay low for awhile."

"Batman thinks it's safer for me to be unaware of impending danger? That doesn't make any sense."

"You will all be notified once the JLA has concluded its meeting and devised a course of action. Batman, and the rest of the JLA, don't want you putting yourself at risk." Barbara told Tim, understanding how he must feel. In her opinion the JLA had a tendency to act too high and mighty with Young Justice. 

"Sure. The JLA is convinced that we can't handle anything. They seem compelled to work against us instead of with us." Tim said, not bothering to mask the bitterness in his voice.

"It isn't like that, Tim." Barbara said, pretty sure that it was _very much _like that.

"Whatever. I'm asking you again, Oracle: What is threatening Young Justice? Either you tell me, or we find out on our own."

"Tim, don't be…" Barbara's voice stopped as Tim closed his laptop. It looked like Robin would be joining Young Justice this Saturday after all.

At Young Justice Headquarters, a very bored Impulse sat watching the Dow Jones fluctuate between -45 and -40. Superboy was right, nothing was going down anywhere. Surely, Impulse thought, it wouldn't matter if one screen scanned the cartoon channels. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure how to make that happen. There were a whole lot of buttons and dials.

Presumably, if he were to use his super-speed, he could figure out what combinations changed the channels. He didn't figure he could actually cause any harm if he just stuck to the view screen panel. Maybe he could even hook up the Playtendo to one of the monitors.

Elsewhere, Superboy was enjoying a long, hot shower. The Young Justice Headquarters certainly wasn't as fancy as the JLA Watchtower, but he had to admit it had a great shower. Constant temperature, multiple massaging jets, and soap foam dispensers, wash away a lot more than just dirt. 

"It's a good thing I'm invulnerable, or I would be a prune by now." Superboy said, rinsing soap out of his hair -and feeling quite pleased that he had discovered yet another reason why it was cool to be Superboy. 

Just then, as the day had begun to look up, disaster struck: Superboy hadn't even registered the locker room door opening, when he heard, "Kon! Kon-," and then a red a white flash came crashing into the shower on top of him. Apparently, Impulse had lost friction on the soapy wet floor and slipped.

"Impulse! What the hell are you doing!" Superboy shouted in rage, confusion, and embarrassment. "I'm _naked _here!"

Impulse didn't answer. He had been traveling at just under the speed of sound when he slipped and fell into Superboy. Even with the protection granted by the Speed Force, the impact had knocked him unconscious.

"Impulse! Impulse? Hey, man get up. This is totally uncool! What if someone saw us?" Superboy said lifting the limp, and thoroughly soaked, speedster off of him.

Superboy picked Impulse up and hoisted him over his shoulder, wondering just what could have had the little guy so excited. _it was probably just a funny commercial, but I ought to get down check it out anyway, _he thought, and turned off the shower.

"Superboy! Impulse! I just got an urgent message from Oracle on my com-link. We've got big trouble!" Robin yelled, running to the shower and nearly slipping, himself. 

He had just learned that the "unnamable threat" was none other than, Prometheus, the guy who single handedly trashed the JLA. It seems that he had devised an excellent plan for ridding the world of A-list super-heroes: kill them before they make the list! Robin was about to share this fact with his teammates when he was struck by the incongruous image of a very naked Superboy carrying a very wet Impulse on his shoulder. "Uh…um… What, exactly-"

"Don't ask!" Superboy stopped him. Sure, this was going to take some explaining, but now, obviously wasn't the time. "What kinda trouble?"

"MORE TROUBLE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!" A sinister voice boomed, and the towering figure of Prometheus appeared in the dissipating steam behind Robin.

To be continued...


	2. As a Matter of Fact, It Could Get Worse

Disclaimer: same as before, Young Justice belongs to DC COMICS, not to me

Disclaimer: same as before, Young Justice belongs to DC COMICS, not to me!

Young Justice Under Fire, Part 2  
  
  
"IT WOULD APPEAR THAT I'VE WASTED WEEKS PLANNING YOUR ANNIHILATION. I EXPECTED TO CATCH YOU WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN, BUT THIS CROSSES THE BORDER INTO ABSURDITY." Prometheus said knocking Robin into a stand of lockers and leveling his enormous rifle at Superboy and Impulse in one fluid gesture.   
  
"How-" Superboy managed before the gun discharged, hurling a viscous ball of soft rubber at his chest. On impact, the ball expanded into an oblong disk that held fast despite his being wet.  
  
The impact of the rubber was insignificant compared to his collision with Impulse a minute earlier, but somehow it knocked the breath out of him. Immediately, he began to sway, dropping Impulse back onto the tile floor with a sloppy thud. A half-formed, confused thought about invulnerability feebly circled his mind once before he fell backwards, comatose. He didn't have time to notice, let alone process the implications of, the dime-sized chuck of iridescent green poking through the rubber affixed to his chest.  
  
"ALL TO EASY." Prometheus said, disappointed. They certainly don't make them like they used to. It occurred to him that the promise to Lex Luthor that secured the sliver of Kryptonite might have been extravagant. "NOW FOR THE LESSER BREED. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE IN A MOVIE BEFORE HEADING BACK TO THE GHOST ZONE."  
  
Before heading to the control room, Prometheus checked Superboy's vital signs. They were ebbing at a more than satisfactory rate. Impulse was still unconscious, but that could change at any moment: speedsters often heal fast as a result of their variable metabolism. It wouldn't do to have the kid zipping out for help in the middle of the operation. Consequently, Prometheus fitted a neural inhibitor (a thin, crown-shaped device with micro-circuitry nodes on either side that keeps the wearer's brain in deep sleep using steady electrical pulses) on Impulse's head and seated him against the shower wall opposite Superboy. Its creator told him that the Lexcorp device was "water resistant" but he didn't want to take any chances.  
  
Robin had fared poorly. The blow that sent him hurling across the room was too sudden for him to make use of his ninja skills. He had crashed into the lockers, knocking them over, and lay motionless on top of the dented metal heap. Prometheus observed several nasty wounds caused by some of the pronounced metal edges of the locker frame. They were bleeding profusely, but no major arteries appeared to be severed. Interestingly, a small drop of blood was clotting around one of Robin's nostrils. He had hit the lockers from behind, so it seemed likely that the blood was the result of cerebral hemorrhaging due to massive concussion. In short, Robin was unlikely to pose a further threat. Satisfied, Prometheus headed toward the control room. Perhaps he could download some useful information before torching the place.  
  
  
Back in Western Pennsylvania, Cissie and Cassie were having milkshakes at a local ice-cream shop. Cissie was trying to enjoy hers. She had opted for reduced fat, low-calorie, vanilla yogurt, in spite of Cassie's insistence that she splurge. Cassie, having taken her own advice, was in the throes of multi-chocolate ecstasy.   
  
"Mmmmmm. All I have to say is who needs boys?" Cassie moaned, having managed to smear chocolaty ice cream on her chin even though her cup was equipped with a fully functional lid and straw.  
  
"Yeah…" Cissie said with no inflection whatsoever. "Mine is pretty good too."  
  
"Please, vanilla yogurt is for old ladies on diets. You need to live a little!"  
  
"Speaking of boys, what do you think they're up to?" Cissie said wanting to change the subject. She was very close to tossing her shake and ordering a double of what Cass was having.  
  
"I'm sure it's just the same old thing: Impulse is bugging Superboy; Kon is trying to boss everyone around; and Robin is one second away from strangling them both. …Here have a sip of my shake!"  
  
"I'm serious, Cass! I know we told them we would be busy today, but you know how Robin is; he should have already called to confirm next Saturday." Cissie said, and felt inexplicable worry creep into an otherwise fine day. Nothing could be wrong at HQ. If anything had come up they would have been alerted immediately.  
  
"Robin might not even be there. Remember, he said he might not be able to make it this Saturday. If that's the case we probably won't hear from him today. Besides, if anything happens on Superboy and Impulse's watch, it will probably be caused by Superboy and Impulse." Cassie said, not wanting to detract from the enjoyment of her shake, even if the topic included Superboy.  
  
"I guess you're right. If we don't hear anything by tonight, I'll give Red a call."  
  
"Smart girl! I was thinking we could catch a movie-" Cassie was interrupted by both her and Cissie's digital wristbands signaling alert.

"This is Arrowette. I'm with Wonder Girl. What's up?" Cissie said, trying not to sound nervous. After All, it could just be Robin calling to say, "We're meeting at 9am instead of 10am." Of course, that didn't explain way he used _alert_, instead of _page_.  
  
"Arrowette, this is Oracle." Her wristband emitted, causing her heart to sink. Oracle was the eyes and ears of Batman and the JLA. If she was calling non-Robin members of Young Justice, something really bad must be up. "Listen to me very carefully: Young Justice has become the target of one of the most deadly villains to rear-up in recent years, Prometheus. You and Wonder Girl are to get to the Justice Society Headquarters immediately. …I have lost communication with Robin and the rest of your team. …The JLA is preparing to negotiate terms for their release. …Do not! I repeat: DO NOT go to Young Justice Headquarters! Oracle out."  
  
"Cassie! We have to do something!" Cissie screamed, causing more than a few of the ice cream shop's patrons to turn their attention to the girls' secluded corner.  
  
"Like what? Prometheus beat the crap out of the JLA. What can we do?  
  
"I don't care! You heard what Oracle said; they are negotiating with that creep. While everybody is talking, the boys could be dying!" Tears joined the conversation.  
  
"Don't say that! You know how resourceful Robin is! I'm sure they are all right." Cassie said, not believing it herself, let alone convincing Cissie. "Okay, what do you what to do? There is no way that Prometheus would expect us to show up after alerting the JLA."  
  
  
At the Young Justice Headquarters chaos ruled. The boys were thoroughly beaten, bleeding, sleeping, or dying, in the upstairs locker room. Prometheus was desperately trying to gain control of the main computer, but for some reason cartoons from all over the world danced across every screen. The system was in such disarray that he had been forced to use his own communications network to notify the JLA of his demands. It would have been much more dramatic to appear on the Watchtower Main Screen standing in the Young Justice Control room, but the damn computer system wouldn't respond to anything. 

Even so, he had been able to relay his location and demand the JLA surrender its updated database. If they did not comply by uploading the information to the anonymous ftp site that he had instructed, Young Justice would cease to exist. Of course, that was going to happen anyway, and he presumed the JLA knew it, but he was confident that they would agree to his demands, if for no other reason than to buy time. 

He was right.

"He's gone to kill them! You have to know that!" Green Lantern exclaimed to a worried Justice League. "Their only chance is for us to go down there and take him out!"

"If we show up, he'll detonate the Headquarters and disappear. This situation requires a more subtle strategy." Batman explained coolly.

"Batman's right. If we go down there _en mass, _Young Justice doesn't stand a chance." Superman agreed, causing some of the newer members to wonder just who the leader was. Superman always seemed to side with Batman, while Batman never seemed to defer to him.

"I agree with Green Lantern. No matter how long we stall, the result will be the same. We could transport directly into the Young Justice Headquarters and swarm him before he-" The Flash started, unwilling to negotiate with a psycho, but Batman cut him off.

"I'm sure he has the transportation center monitored. If we go down there, he will know…and be sure that he has a contingency for us making such a foolhardy attempt. I will neutralize Prometheus." Batman informed the Flash, and then addressing the group, "Your job is to stall him as long as possible."

"Now wait just a minute!" The Flash yelled. He didn't particularly like Batman, and Batman's continual dismissals were beginning to make him angry. "How do you plan to stop Prometheus by yourself?"

"I have ways." Batman said, as though he had excused himself from dinner, and walked out amid incredulous stares.

Part three (the final chapter) should be out this weekend. Thanks for the reviews! And I apologize for the length of this story. I didn't initially intend for it to be a mini-series! Also sorry about the errors! At this point, I'm more concerned with getting it out than getting it right.-Eddie (…and the Lemming)


	3. Young Justice Fights Back

Disclaimer: Same as Before, DC COMICS owns Young Justice, not me.  
  
  
Young Justice Under Fire, Part 3  
  
  
Arrowette and Wonder Girl had left the ice cream shop and headed straight for the Young Justice Headquarters. They didn't even stop to change into proper super-hero attire. Even with Arrowette's added weight, Wonder Girl had never flown faster, and they arrived at ground zero in just under twenty minutes.  
  
"What do we do now?" Wonder Girl asked, looking at the smoldering hole where their main entrance had been.  
  
"We should try the utility hatch above the cargo bay. If Prometheus were expecting the JLA, he wouldn't have booby-trapped that tiny hatch."  
  
"Hey! That's a good idea!" Wonder Girl grinned, and promptly flew them both to the hatch.  
  
The hatch was only about three feet in diameter and fashioned to look like the rest of the rock facing. For all they knew, it had completely escaped Prometheus' notice. The only way they knew it existed was from an incident involving one of Impulse's lame practical jokes.  
  
"Okay," Arrowette began, pulling up on a jutting "rock" to reveal a keypad, "What is the access code, again?"  
  
Wondergirl just looked at her.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry." Arrowette said, and laughed in spite of herself. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0."  
  
The display on the keypad flashed green and a metallic clink sounded inside the hatch. It was unlocked! With any luck, all of the security alerts caused by the destruction of the main entrance should prevent too much attention being paid to a tiny utility hatch. Both Girls knew that the only thing they had going for them was the element of surprise.  
  
The day had begun with Cissie and Cassie and had abruptly changed to Arrowette and Wonder Girl. The fun and games had been left at the ice cream shop in Pennsylvania. This was no ordinary bad guy; this was a guy who excelled at killing people much stronger and more experienced than they were. Looking at the dimly lit scaffolding visible through the open utility hatch, they were both acutely aware that death could be down there waiting for them.  
  
Without a word, Arrowette, followed by Wonder Girl, entered the complex.  
  
  
  
Robin was vaguely aware that he was being shaken. _Why would Alfred make such a fuss about putting me to bed and then wake me up as soon as I'm asleep_. He thought, and then the pain struck. He opened his eyes and couldn't quite place where he was. The only thing absolutely certain was that he hurt. He hurt really bad.   
  
"Robin! You're awake! Thank God you're awake!" A familiar voice desperately greeted him. It was Arrowette, or Cissie, rather. She wasn't wearing her mask.  
  
"Cissie…I…" Robin stopped. It all came back to him: Prometheus, the warning, being slammed into the lockers. "Prometheus. Is he still here?"

  
"Yes. He's in the control room messing with the computers. For some reason he has all of the monitors tuned to cartoons."  
  
"Cartoons?" Cartoons were playing when he got there. It seemed odd, but there were more pressing things to tell the guys. He had followed Impulse's flash up the stairs to the locker room, where he saw Superboy and Impulse…And Superboy was naked. "Where are Impulse and Superboy?"  
  
"In here." Came a muffled voice from the shower. "Superboy is…um…naked except for something on his chest. He isn't moving and looks really bad. Impulse is sitting against the wall with something on his head."  
  
Robin tried to move but found that his left arm wasn't working properly. Arrowette helped him sit up. He quickly took stock of the situation. Even though he was in excruciating pain all over, it appeared that only his collarbone, close to the left side, might be broken. He had several lacerations that could need stitches, but otherwise seemed okay. Just to be sure, he felt his head all over. There were no cuts or suspicious knots.   
  
As he stood up, declining Arrowette's help this time, he noticed that something was blocking one of his nostrils. It was a disgusting clot of dried blood. In the same instant, he was worried about possible head trauma and horrified to think Arrowette had seen him pull that out of his nose. He checked his head again. Nothing. It appeared to be nothing more serious than a nasal blood vessel that, after a night of heavy puking, couldn't take anymore stress.  
  
Robin made his way to the shower as quickly as he could. The pain from his injuries and the blunt force trauma from the collision made him dizzy. Once there, he propped himself up against the entrance and reviewed the scene. Superboy did look bad.  
  
"Cassie, what is that on Superboy's chest?"  
  
"I don't know. It looks like some kinda plastic or something. There's a greenish rock looking thing stuck to it too. I think its-"  
  
"RIP IT OFF OF HIM!" Robin yelled the best he could.  
  
"But-" Wonder Girl protested, wondering if it was a good idea to risk hurting him worse.  
  
"DO IT NOW!" Robin cut her off. Never had his voice, strained as it was, carried a more _I'm the leader, do as I say _tone.  
  
"Okay." Wonder Girl replied, bending down to remove the clinging rubber even if it took Superboy's chest with it. "Whatever you say!"  
  
At first, she had some difficulty getting a grip on the stuff, but eventually she managed and ripped the whole thing off in one piece. To her horror, it did take off some of the invulnerable Superboy's skin. Even more frightening was the fist-sized burn just under where the Kryptonite had been.  
  
"Now quickly, throw it into the hot tub!"  
  
"What?" Wonder Girl asked not expecting the words "hot tub" at a time like this.  
  
"Obviously, that green stone contains Kryptonite. If it were solid Kryptonite Superboy would be dead." Robin said relatively sure that whomever had supplied Prometheus with the 10 karat stone had told him it was pure. "It emits a radiation that is deadly to people with Kryptonian DNA. If you throw it in the hot tub the density of the water might insulate Superboy against the radiation. I can't say for sure that it will work, but several feet of water can prevent a nuclear reactor core from irradiating operators at a power plant."  
  
Not understanding half of it, Wonder Girl did as she was told.  
  
Sensing that Robin no longer needed her, Arrowette removed the neural inhibitor from Impulse and began trying to revive him. The device had kept him asleep, but, if anything, it had only aided in his recovery. In a few seconds Impulse was awake and briefed on current events. As it happened, Prometheus was innocent on cartoon charges. In fact, Impulse wasn't quite sure who Prometheus was. He was running to get Kon to help fix the monitors before Red Tornado got back and went Max Mercury on him.  
  
At the same time Impulse was trying to explain how the cartoons _kinda were _but _kinda weren't _his fault, Wonder Girl carried Superboy to a bench and carefully laid him out. He was already starting to get some color back, but no one could say when, or even if, he would wake up. As she found a large towel and draped it around him, it occurred to her that under different circumstances, seeing Superboy out of his ridiculous costume might be fun. Briefly, she even considered the possibility of a more risqué form of Young Justice Truth or Dare, but these perfectly natural, if inappropriate, thoughts immediately vanished at the sight of his wounds and their reminder of the dire situation they all faced.  
  
Robin, who was getting more steady with each passing second, gathered everyone together and began discussing a plan. Though none of them saw it, Superboy began twitching his fingers and toes.  
  
  
  
  
At the Bat Cave, an extraordinarily grim Batman was compiling an arsenal.  
  
"Look, Bruce. Maybe none of this would have happened if you had been up front with Tim to begin with." Oracle chided. She knew in one way it was the worst thing to say, in another, the best.   
  
Batman grunted, hoisting a cumbersome device that could manipulate magnetic fields. He had a use for it.  
  
"I know you don't like to hear it, but you have to trust your friends sometimes. If you had explained the danger, he would have listened to you. Having to drag it out of me was a sure recipe for trouble."  
  
"If you had trusted me, Tim would be a school right now."  
  
"That isn't fair and you know it!" Oracle came very close to losing her legendary composure.  
  
Without another word, Batman strapped himself into an impressive vehicle, the specifications of which included the terms "aquatic" and "air".  
  
  
  
"The most important thing for us to remember is that Prometheus isn't unbeatable." Robin began. He had become something of a motivational speaker since Young Justice assembled. "First of all, he relies on careful planning and strategy. Without those things, he is just another nut with some armor and a gun. He expects Superboy to be dead, and me and Impulse to be out for the count. Also, he couldn't possibly have anticipated the two of you showing up. If we can hit him all at once, from multiple sides, he won't stand a chance."  
  
"Let's do it!" Impulse said heroically, and had to be physically restrained by Wonder Girl to prevent him from tackling Prometheus on his own.  
  
"It isn't that simple, Impulse. We have to be careful. If we blow this, he could zip back to the Ghost Zone and use what he's learned from this experience to come back more prepared.  
  
"Now, here is the plan: I'm afraid I'm not in good enough shape to help with the actual assault, so I'll play diversion. When his attention is focused on me; Impulse, you disarm him. Arrowette, you stand ready to fire magnetic pulse arrows. They should shut down the integrated computer systems in his armor. Then you overpower him, Wonder Girl. Try to damage as much of his armor as you can, particularly his helmet."  
  
"Hey! What am I supposed to do?" A groggy voice said from behind.  
  
No one could believe his or her eyes. Only a few minutes before, Superboy appeared to be at death's door. Now he had recovered most of his color, even the wounds on his chest didn't appear quite so menacing.  
  
"Are you able to fight?" Robin asked, only about 80% sure that he wasn't talking to a ghost.  
  
"I've never felt worse, but I think I can still throw a little beat-down. Besides, I owe that guy big." Superboy said beginning to look more angry than injured. As he stood up, clutching the towel Wonder Girl had provided, it dawned on him that everybody present, whether intentionally or not, had probably caught a peek. "By the way, has anybody seen my pants?"

Just before arriving at the Young Justice Headquarters, Batman had formalized his plan and alerted the JLA. Interestingly, it was the exact opposite of the plan Robin was currently initializing. He intended to sneak into the base using the same hatch Arrowette and Wonder Girl had used and quietly locate Prometheus. When the target was in sight, he would alert the JLA via Martian Manhunter's psychic link and they would transport to the Young Justice Headquarters. In the instant that Prometheus was distracted by his unexpected guests, Batman would attack hard and fast with his magnetic disruptor.

At the Watchtower, Flash and Green Lantern were exchanging wry looks. When they advised storming the base, it was "foolhardy." Now that Batman had commanded the action it was a brilliant strategy. One of these days someone was going to have to put the lunatic in a Halloween costume in his place, and two young JLAers (a Mr. Rayner and a Mr. West) were close to volunteering.

In the control room, Prometheus was still trying to bring the database online. He was aware that Batman had somehow intercepted his basic plan to eliminate Young Justice, but he had not anticipated the kids having time to prepare. Somehow they had locked up the computer system so skillfully that he couldn't use any of the Headquarters' technology to his advantage.

He had intended to infiltrate the system and use it to lure Arrowette and Wonder Girl. He knew that the JLA would have ordered the girls to a safe haven, probably under the protection of the Teen Titians or the Justice Society, but if he could have sent a distress call from the Young Justice computer he was sure the inexperienced girls would have fallen for it. As it happened, he was forced to over-extend his own systems to secure the area and communicate with the JLA. It was beginning to look like he would have to be happy with whatever information he could extort from the JLA and cut his losses by exterminating the Young Justice Headquarters and its unfortunate occupants.

He could not have known that he had severely underestimated his disappointment. Batman had just given the order for the JLA to mobilize.

As Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Aqua Man, were preparing to depart, Young Justice began its attack. Batman watched in disbelief as the inexperienced team of teenagers overwhelmed Prometheus.

Robin, making an unprecedented amount of noise for a ninja, entered from the left and threw a bat-a-rang at a thoroughly confused Prometheus. A mortified Batman wondered what his protégé was trying to accomplish with such a futile gesture as the bat-a-rang bounced harmlessly off of the intruder's armor. Before he could swing into action, Robin's motive became apparent.

In an instant, Impulse had secured Prometheus' gun, and in perhaps the most dangerous moment of the battle, began to wave it around wildly in Prometheus' direction. Before he had time to register the loss of his rifle, Arrowette had fired off no fewer than three magnetic pulse arrows, all of which connected with their target so beautifully that Batman wondered if he had invited the wrong bowman to join the JLA.

The result was even better than anticipated! Not only did the magnetic pulses re-polarize the electronics of Prometheus' armor; they caused the internal power supply to violently arch through all of the circuits, frying both his means of defense and escape.

Superboy and Wonder Girl were on him the moment the blue electrical flash faded, ripping his armor off of him in jagged chucks. Less than ten seconds had passed between Robin's entrance and the decisive fall of the dread Prometheus. He lay unconscious in a heap on the control room floor surrounded by pieces of his own armor.

Pulses still raced as Superboy stood over the fallen foe contemplating some really nasty uses for Tactile Telekinesis. Before he could decide on the worst one possible, a familiar voice asked what was going on.

Superman, standing at the head of an awestruck JLA, surveyed the Young Justice control room. No one answered his question. No one needed to. In an instant, Batman appeared in front of Superman.

"You disobeyed orders and put yourselves at risk." Batman said as if addressing a room full on unruly third graders. Though directed at the group, it was obvious that he meant Robin specifically.

It was the wrong thing to say. If Superman hadn't immediately cast Batman a withering look , Young Justice, likely joined by Flash and Green Lantern, may very well have reenacted the fall of Prometheus on the Bat.

The tension lingered in the air for a long moment. No one, including Young Justice could believe that Prometheus had fallen, and been defeated so soundly at that. Slowly, the relief and satisfaction of victory began to overshadow Batman's disapproval.

"Hey! I think you lost this." Superboy said, tossing a silvery sphere to a stoic Batman. 

Before he caught it in both hands he suspected what it was, Prometheus' helmet.

The End

hope you all liked this story! It was fun writing. Maybe you won't be too disappointed that Batman didn't get to save the day. Thanks, again for the reviews! Also: This was sort of a trial by fire for me. I, like most YJ fans, read the title for the humor. I kept this story relatively serious for the challenge. I already have a few ideas for a more traditional YJ story. I hope you read it!

Thanks, -Eddie (and the Lemming)


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